


because you're mine (i walk the line)

by chaoticqueer



Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst and Fluff and Smut, F/F, Slow Burn, Teen Angst, warning: i suck at writing smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2018-11-14 14:16:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11209776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaoticqueer/pseuds/chaoticqueer
Summary: Trini wasn’t even going to come to this party, truth be told she’s just there because her friend Zack begged her and practically dragged her to it. But where is Zack now? Flirting with people he has no chance with, probably. Trini was just looking for him on the dance floor to ask the boy to take her home when she saw Kimberly Hart approaching her with a weirdly suggestive look on her face. That’s when things started getting crazy.-No Powers AU, Popular!Kim, Trini is a badass gay, Tommy is non-binary, Zack is Trini's protective bestie, Jason and Billy are BFs. This is gonna be a bumpy ride, guys, buckle up!!!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> *SCREAMS* 
> 
> So, i'm just gonna post this real quick and go hide. This chapter is basically just an intro, chapter 2 is where things really start happening.
> 
> Also, shout out to my friend paulina for helping me out with this chapter and fixing a few things for me!

It’s Saturday around 2:15 a.m. and music still plays loud and heavy in the crowded house. It’s definitely not Kimberly’s first party, and for sure won’t be the last. She downs her drink and smirks cockily at her friend Amanda, who’s already way too drunk for an eighteen-year-old.

They had been getting down on the dance floor but decided to stop for a second to get something to drink even though Amanda really shouldn’t put another drop of alcohol in her system. Three other girls from the cheer squad laugh among themselves and approach Kimberly and Amanda in the kitchen, clearly not sober.

“What are you bitches talking about?” Harper questions, after grabbing another beer. Her arm slings over Amanda, making them both stumble back a little until they’re leaning on the fridge.

“Kimmy here thinks she could seduce anybody because apparently, she’s irresistible,” Amanda teases. She reaches over and pokes Kim’s nose lightly. The two friends have been arguing about Kimberly’s sex life since they had started drinking in the beginning of the party.

Kim laughs and jumps up to sit on the kitchen counter. “Well, am I even lying?” she says before raising an eyebrow and drinking from her red cup then licking her lips.

Charlotte laughs loudly, “Wow Kim! Ever since you dumped Ty, you’ve been _very_ full of yourself,” she agrees. Kimberly smirks and shrugs.

“You’re right, Char. I think her ego is getting too big, don’t you agree, girls?” Amanda asks with a grin whose meaning was clear even in their inebriated states. “Maybe we should make a little game out of this?”

The girls grin and quickly agree with Amanda. Kimberly rolls her eyes as if she knew exactly what was about to happen. Amanda turns back to her friend with a suggestive smirk on her face. She pushes Harper’s arm away and walks up to Kim.

“You know what? I think you should prove it,” Amanda continues, pulling Kim down from the counter, who stumbles a bit on her way down.  “I’m gonna pick someone and if you manage to take them upstairs I’ll… I don’t know, run five extra laps on training next Monday. Plus you’ll get bragging rights.” She looks around the room, then links her arm with Kim’s and starts walking them out of the kitchen and into the living room, where the party is really happening. “If you don’t… then you’ll be the one running the extra laps. And you’ll have to admit you were wrong. How does that sound?”

Harper, Julie, and Charlotte seem to have liked the idea, because they scream in excitement as if they’ve just found the meaning of life itself. Kimberly raises her brow in deep thought, she does like being right. And Amanda would probably just pick a loser who’s got low standards anyway so it can’t be that hard. She makes up her mind.

“Fine.”

Amanda gives a few enthusiastic jumps along with the other girls.

“Now, who should I pick…” She eyes the crowd around them with interest. She’s not going to make it easy for Kimberly, it should be someone who might give her a little trouble... She grins and turns to the girls behind them. “Ooh, what if I picked a girl?” The other girls giggle and blush slightly.  “I mean, if you’re that irresistible then it shouldn’t really matter, right?” Amanda says turning back to Kim and offering a suggestive smile.

Kimberly might think she’s hot and hard to resist, but she’s never tried to seduce a girl before, this could definitely turn out to be a bit of a challenge. But she’s not going to back out now, her friends would bitch about it all night if she did. Plus, she’s not one to refuse to try new things. Who knows, it could end up being…interesting in some way, maybe a nice experience.

If she was sober, Kimberly might have taken a little longer to consider what she’s signing up for, but that’s not the case, so to hell with it.

“Just pick the girl already so I can see your angry face when you realize you’ll be the one running on Monday.”

Amanda rolls her eyes at Kim and continues her search. She’s almost giving up and just picking a random chick when she sees her. Just the right girl. Clad in a yellow jacket and looking bored, there she is, in the corner of the living room, just who she was hoping to find.

“There. Yellow jacket to your left. I think her name is Deedee or something. She’s a loser from my history class. You trying to get with her will probably be the best thing to ever happen to that poor thing,” She discreetly points to the girl she picked, “But she looks pretty gay to me so it might be too easy, I think we should make this more interesting…. If you can get her to run away crying after you’re done, Harper will run five extra laps and do your homework for a week.”

Harper, who’s stumbling over her own feet while trying to dance, doesn’t even realize her involvement in the whole thing.

Kimberly examines her target with focused eyes. She’s never seen the girl in school before, but it’s not like that matters.

“Done. Watch this.”

She raises her chin and starts confidently making her way towards the girl, who, luckily for Kim, is alone. This will be easy.

When she’s halfway there, their eyes meet. Kimberly opens a flirty smile, her target is actually not that bad to look at. The girl looks away from her but Kim keeps her sight fixed on her as she takes the final steps.

_What’s her strategy? She’s not used to seducing girls. Do they like small talk? Fuck, maybe just treat her like you would a guy, that could work, right?_

Trini suddenly glances back at Kimberly when they’re a mere two steps away from each other and Kim decides ‘fuck it’, no words will be needed for this.

And that’s how Trini Gomez finds herself being abruptly kissed by the head cheerleader.

Trini wasn’t even going to come to this party, truth be told she’s just there because her friend Zack begged her and practically dragged her to it. But where is Zack now? Flirting with people he has no chance with, probably. Trini was just looking for him on the dance floor to ask the boy to take her home when she saw Kimberly Hart approaching her with a weirdly suggestive look on her face. That’s when things started getting crazy.

Kimberly’s lips are then pressed against Trini’s and she’s not sure what the girl’s deal is but… Kim is a pretty girl, and her lips are soft and warm. And Trini might have admired her from a distance for a while, so she kisses back. It’s not like she’s a fan of getting kissed without granting consent first but again, Kimberly is the cutest girl in Angel Grove.

It’s probably not a good idea and it’s most definitely gonna come back later to bite her in the ass, but with Kimberly’s hands on her body and her lips against Trini’s, she gives in.

Trini lightly bites Kimberly’s lower lip and the girl lets out a low moan that makes her knees go weak. Kim presses their bodies closer together and starts planting kisses all the way to Trini’s neck and she knows this is the craziest thing that’s ever happened to her.

“We should go somewhere more private. Come.” Kimberly whispers in her ear before pressing a last kiss to her neck and pulling Trini, who’s red in the face, by the hand to lead the girl upstairs to one of the empty bedrooms of Amanda’s huge house.

Kimberly opens the door with shaken hands before walking inside the room with Trini. It wasn’t hard to get this far, but now that she’s had a few seconds to think about what she’s doing, Kim starts getting nervous about the situation she’s in.

But she liked kissing Trini and wanted to do it again, so with a dismissive shake of her head, Kimberly closes the door behind them and presses the other girl’s body against it. She can think about what it all means later when they’re done with this.

“Where were we?” She mumbles before catching Trini’s lips with hers once more and slipping one of her legs between the shorter girl’s thighs.

Trini opens her lips in surprise and Kim’s tongue sneaks into her mouth. She lets out a moan and hopes Kimberly doesn’t hear it when the girl lifts her legs with ease and carries her away from the door and towards the bed.

Kimberly lets them fall on the mattress and presses bites and kisses all over Trini’s neck, making the short girl feel a delicious warmth going all the way to her belly. The room is too hot and Trini can feel everything spin around her. Kimberly tugs on her jacket, “Take this off.”

Trini quickly gets rid of it, throwing the jacket carelessly on the floor. This was definitely not what she would guess if someone asked her what she thought was gonna happen at the party. But she welcomes the pleasant surprise.

Kimberly’s thoughts run all over the place, she should be rejecting Trini now, she should be pushing her away and yelling at her and making her run away with tears in her eyes but, God, the girl’s body feels so good pressed against hers, her skin feels so hot and addictive, Kimberly can’t stop no matter how hard she tries.

She’s battling against her own brain when her shirt gets taken off and Kim suddenly finds herself in her bra, on top of a girl she’s never seen before tonight, and she can’t deny how freeing and exciting it feels, how different it is from everything she’s ever tried.

Trini pulls Kimberly back in for another searing kiss before getting rid of her own top and letting out a pleased grunt when the girl on top of her rolls her hips into hers, lighting up Trini’s body even more.

Kimberly feels her heart jumping and her entire body getting filled with desire when she sees Trini shirtless.  This was not on her plans. _Fuck._ This was most definitely not on her plans when she agreed to this. She can feel her underwear getting uncomfortably damp and _oh God,_ Kimberly has never felt so aroused in her life.

Trini bites Kimberly’s neck and lightly tugs on her hair and the cheerleader thinks her heart is about to give out. Trini then unclasps Kim’s bra and her skin feels warm and the world around them doesn’t make sense anymore.

Kimberly shakes herself awake from her thoughts and moves to take off Trini’s pants and bra and her muscles are working without her permission because she doesn’t how it happened but her mouth is suddenly on Trini’s chest and she can’t bring herself to stop.

Kimberly presses her thigh against Trini’s incredibly wet underwear and the girl lets out a delicious moan that makes her hips buckle. She scratches Kim’s back with aching desire and Kimberly wonders how she went so long in her life without this feeling.

Trini mewls in Kimberly’s ear and the cheerleader can’t help but reply with a whine of her own, feeling her underwear get even damper. She quickly kicks her pants off and shifts her weigh on her elbows to allow her to almost painfully slide her fingers inside Trini’s boyshorts.

“Fuck, you’re so wet for me.” Kimberly comments, lightly biting on Trini’s earlobe and getting a grunt in return.

She teasingly rubs circles around Trini’s clit and the girl pulls her in for a deep kiss and their teeth clash together but nothing matters because this is definitely the craziest thing Kimberly’s ever felt and Trini just wants this moment to never end.

“Can I?” Kim asks for consent, looking deep into Trini’s eyes and the feeling between them suddenly shifts. Trini looks vulnerable and exposed and Kimberly gets hit by a wave of fondness for the girl.

Trini nods in response and Kim presses a caring kiss to her lips, slowing her actions. She gently starts pushing two delicate fingers inside the girl, making sure she’s not causing Trini any pain.

When the girl is comfortable, she nods again to Kimberly, who slowly starts building speed. Trini lets out a reassuring moan and Kim plants quick kisses all over her partner’s throat. Then, she teasingly slides her thumb on Trini’s clit, making her get even louder.

Kimberly keeps her eyes on Trini’s face, watching her delicate features react to every little touch. She’s beautiful. Kim almost feels bad for not noticing her at school before.

When Kimberly notices Trini is close to her climax, she pulls her in for a heated kiss. Trini’s body spasms deliciously and their kisses then start getting drowsy and slow. Kimberly places a few more pecks to Trini’s lips before pulling out and lying down next to her.

They breathe heavily for a minute, not saying anything.

Kimberly’s underwear is still uncomfortably wet and she’s trying not to think about it when Trini suddenly climbs on top of her and starts pressing kisses all over her body all the way to her bellybutton. The girl then teasingly pulls Kim’s underwear off and plants light bites on her thighs. At this point, Kimberly is already drowning in her own desire, and lets out a throaty moan.

Trini decides to end her partner’s torture, “Can I?” She asks from between the girl’s legs. Kimberly, of course, nods in response, her fingers running through Trini’s hair in a silent beg. Trini doesn’t have to be asked twice, she presses a gentle kiss to Kimberly’s clit before drawing random letters over it with her tongue.

It doesn’t take long for Kim to come, the image of Trini going down on her, and the feel of the girl’s tongue is way too good for her to handle. Her hips buckle and Trini keeps her pressed to the bed and helps her ride out the high by pressing light kisses and bites all over her skin.

Kimberly pulls Trini up for a searing kiss that ends way too soon because the short girl is suddenly gone and the mattress shifts and Kim opens her eyes to find Trini gathering her clothes from the floor and getting dressed.

“Wait, Deedee.” Kimberly calls, when Trini is about to open the door and leave. The girl turns around to answer.

“It’s Trini.”

“Sorry. Trini. I’m-“

Trini takes a few steps towards Kim, who’s still sprawled on the now messy bed. “You’re Kimberly Hart, head cheerleader, most popular girl in Angel Grove. I know it’s never gonna happen again and that I’m not supposed to tell anyone, you don’t have to lecture me.” She smiles painfully, “I get it. You’re straight, I’m just an experiment. I won’t bother you again, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Kim sighs, getting hit by the harsh reality. This could never work. It was a one time thing, not supposed to last. Trini surprises Kimberly with a last kiss that takes their breaths away.

When they split apart, the short girl opens a confident smirk that Kimberly knows is nothing but a façade because of the way her eyes flicker with a wave of sadness and disappointment for a second, even though it’s gone as quickly as it came.

“Good talk.” Trini says, before opening the door and disappearing.

Kimberly lies back down on the bed with a soft thud. “Trini.” The name leaves her lips followed by a smile she quickly closes, reminding herself she’s not supposed to like a loser just because they had sex once. Even if said sex made her feel like she’s never felt before.

She starts picking her clothes from the ground and lets out a pained sigh. This little “infatuation” is not going to end well for her.

\---

Trini runs down the stairs and her eyes search for Zack on the crowd. Thankfully, she manages to find him staring back at her with a suggestive smirk.

“Zack, party is over for us, let’s go.” She says, when she’s close enough to her friend.

“Fine, we can leave. But first you have to tell me, was I seeing things earlier or did you really make out with the head cheerleader and she took you upstairs?” Zack questions, curious and not hiding his enthusiasm.

Trini feels her face getting hot, “That may have happened, I don’t know.”

“Come on, Crazy Girl, tell me!”

She starts pulling him by the arm towards the exit. “Later, dude, later. We have to go now, I really need a shower.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amanda then turns to give Kim her attention, “Now, don’t you worry about that Deedee, you didn’t make her cry but I’m sure I can.” She adds.
> 
> Kimberly’s heart speeds up. “Trini.” She corrects, before she can stop herself.
> 
> “What?”
> 
> “Her name is Trini.”
> 
> _Fuck, Kimberly, why can’t you keep your goddamn mouth shut?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Homophobic slurs.
> 
> Jason is here! Billy is here! They're gonna have some pretty important roles in this story, hopefully they're in character hahaha
> 
> Zack is not really in this chapter but I promise he's in the next one!

“Kimmy, I don’t know about that… You might have managed to seduce the loser but I didn’t see her running away crying or anything of the matter, so maybe you didn’t really win our bet.” Amanda comments, venom dripping from her voice.

The girl files her nails with a boring look on her face as she talks. Kimberly rolls her eyes. _Of course this would happen._

The cheerleaders are still at Amanda’s, having slept over after the party the day before. They’re seated at the huge living room couch and the tv makes low noises as it plays some show nobody is paying attention to.

“Seriously? I won fair and square!” When her friends glare at her doubtfully, Kimberly changes her strategy, “It’s not my fault you picked an emotionless freak for me to seduce, Amanda.”  

It’s not like she believes that, Kimberly just knows she has to keep her image intact. It wouldn’t be good if her friends realized she had given up on the plan as soon as Trini’s shirt was off.

Amanda widens her eyes and lets out a nasty laugh, “That’s fair, now that you mention it. I’m not happy about it but Harper will be running the extra laps today.”

Harper frowns, “What? Why should I? You were the one who made the stupid bet! You run!” The girl lies back down on the couch, bitching about her headache and refusing to do what her friend said.

“Don’t be silly, Harper, you agreed to it last night, don’t you remember? I told you I could do it but you insisted you should.” Amanda insists, taking advantage of her lightweight friend.

Kimberly watches their exchange with tired eyes. She knew this was going to happen. Amanda plays dirty all the time, especially when it comes to Harper. The poor girl just does whatever Amanda tells her to, naive fool.

“Is that true, Kim?” Harper questions.

Kimberly looks at her friends, trying to decide who she should support on this. Harper is a better friend, but Amanda holds the most power, she’s the one you need to have on your side. Kimberly makes her choice.

“My memory is a little cloudy but I’m almost certain you did say that at some point…” She comments. Amanda opens a cocky smile. “Something about you being a better runner, if I’m not mistaken.”

“See? I’m no liar, honey.”

Harper sighs, giving up on her argument. “Fine, I’ll do it.”

“I knew you wouldn’t let me down, Harp.” Amanda replies, glancing at her friend, “You’re always such a good friend to me.”

Kimberly notices how red Harper’s face gets and makes a mental note to keep her eyes open and maybe try to find out if something “ _weird”_ is going on between her best friends.

Amanda then turns to give Kim her attention, “Now, don’t you worry about that Deedee, you didn’t make her cry but I’m sure _I_ can.” She adds.

Kimberly’s heart speeds up. “Trini.” She corrects, before she can stop herself.

“What?”

“Her name is Trini.”

_Fuck, Kimberly, why can’t you keep your goddamn mouth shut?_

“I don’t care about her name, Kimmy. Did you catch feelings for that loser or something?” Amanda teases, raising an eyebrow. “You know, that reminds me… I never asked how far you went with her last night… you didn’t go all the way, did you? That would’ve been so embarrassing for you.”

Kimberly feels herself starting to sweat, “What? Ew! No!”

“You sure about that?” Harper questions, “You might not remember.” She suggests, innocently.

“Of course I’m sure, I wasn’t that drunk!”

Harper shrugs and lies back down on the couch.

“Then you don’t mind if I tell some friends to mess with her a little bit, do you?” Amanda stares at Kimberly as if she’s waiting for the girl to challenge her. _Do it, Kimmy. Stand up to me._

Kimberly looks away and shakes her head, “I don’t care.”

But she knows she’s lying. Kimberly remembers holding Trini in her arms, how vulnerable and beautiful she looked… She hates herself for letting Amanda send her goons after the poor girl. There’s nothing she can do though, it would be too risky to interfere, it wouldn’t end well for her. Amanda would get the wrong idea and she could use that against Kim. So she swallows down painfully and hopes her friend doesn’t hurt Trini too much.

\---

Trini stares at her locker, letting out a sigh. She really shouldn’t have hooked up with Kimberly Hart the day before. It’s never a good idea to have sex with a straight girl, especially when said girl is the HBIC.

**_Dyke. Fag. Loser. Kill yourself, slut. Nobody will miss you. Freak. Abomination._ **

The words, written in harsh red, make her heart clench just a little harder inside her chest. It gets difficult to breathe but she forces the air in and out of her lungs.

Trini opens the locker and collects what she needs as quickly as she can, then pressing it closed harshly. She closes her eyes tight and tries not to care about the stares she’s getting.

Suddenly, something collides against her back and she hits her forehead on the metal surface. Trini turns around, ready to face whoever did that, and she’s not surprised to find two cheerleaders standing right there, smirking.

“Hello there, I wasn’t sure you could read, so I thought my friend and I would volunteer to help you with that.” She points to the locker, “It says, ‘Kill yourself, slut. Nobody will miss you.’ Then there’s also some great adjectives that fit you just right: ‘Dyke, fag, loser, freak, and abomination.’ Am I forgetting something, Karen?” The blonde cheerleader glances at the other girl, Karen.

“Well, I think we could come up with some other, more colorful adjectives, don’t you think?” Karen replies, pushing Trini against her locker.

Trini is calm. She knew this was going to happen and she will not let herself lose control in this situation. _Stay calm, they will do whatever they want and then they’ll leave._

She stares at Karen’s eyes, hoping her fear doesn’t show, and raises her chin in challenge.

“Cat got your tongue?” The blonde girl asks, forcing Trini’s shoulder against the cold metal with her pale hand. Karen grins.

“Hey!” A male voice interrupts the cheerleaders. Trini keeps her eyes glued to her bullies as steps get closer and closer to them. “Two against one? That doesn’t seem fair to me…”

Karen glances at the guy and recognizes him as Jason Scott, ex-quarterback that fell from grace. “Stay in your lane, Scott.”

“Why should I? You’re not staying in yours.” He replies, crossing his arms over his chest. “If you want to hurt her you’re gonna have to hurt me first. And I’m warning you, I fight back.”

“Don’t you know guys shouldn’t hit girls?” The blonde cheerleader, Jane, challenges.

“I won’t have to. You’re not that dumb, I assume. You’re going to walk away before we have to get to that.” Jason stares at the girls, waiting for their reactions.

A few seconds pass before Karen rolls her eyes, “Whatever. Let’s go, Jane, we have better things to do.”

And with that, the cheerleaders walk away.

Jason relaxes visibly and turns to look at Trini, who doesn’t seem happy.

“I don’t need your help.” She growls at the boy, shifting in her place.

“Well, I don’t care, I’ve got your back anyway. I don’t like bullies. I’m Jason, by the way.”

Trini rolls her eyes, “Fine, pretty boy. Whatever helps you sleep at night.” She sighs, before starting to make her way towards her class.

“I didn’t catch your name!” He calls after the girl, but she doesn’t say anything back.

Jason stands where he is, glancing at the locker for a few seconds before deciding to clean it for Trini, who he vouches to keep an eye on to keep her out of trouble.

 _Look at you, Jason Scott, taking in strays…_ He shrugs, the boy needs new friends anyway, and that short, grumpy girl seems just his speed.

\---

Harper bites an apple and bobs her head up and down to the song she’s listening to on her earbuds while Amanda has this look on her face Kimberly immediately recognizes as the one she gets whenever she has one of her nasty ideas.

“So… Kimmy, I was thinking, why haven’t you gotten back together with Ty yet? He’s clearly crazy about you, I don’t even know why you broke up with him in the first place… I thought it was a power play, but maybe it wasn’t…? Don’t you think he’s suffered enough already?” She inquires, raising her left eyebrow just a little bit.

Kimberly looks taken aback, but she shouldn’t be surprised. Knowing Amanda, she would make a comment like that sooner or later, she’s never been one to mind her own business.

“Oh, I didn’t tell you? Crap, I must have forgotten, then.” She starts, putting her game face on, “It’s crazy that I didn’t mention anything, especially since it involves you…” Kim gets closer to her friend, leaning in against the lunch table like she’s about to tell a really well-kept secret.

Amanda glances at her in question.

“You won’t tell anyone?”

“Of course not, Kim, we’re best friends.”

The girls keep ignoring Harper, who’s still dancing to her music and humming every once in a while as she eats her apple.

“This one time when we were… doing it, you won’t believe this, but Ty called out your name.” Kimberly tries not to smile at her lie.

“What?” Amanda looks shocked, but deep down, she’s cackling.

“He did. He fucking called me Amanda.” She keeps going, “Look, you know me, I won’t be with someone who would rather be with someone else. I deserve to be with someone who actually likes me, don’t you agree? I wouldn’t want you or Harper or any of the girls to be with someone who doesn’t appreciate you.” Kimberly forces herself to look like she actually cares and believes the words she’s saying.

Amanda nods, still surprised, “Kimmy, I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay, Mandy.”

“I promise, I never tried anything with Ty. I would never disrespect you like that, you do know that, right?” The girl quickly glances at her perfectly manicured nails before looking back up at Kimberly.

“I know. But listen, if you want to be with him, I wouldn’t mind, really. You know I’ve never actually liked him, he was just a boy toy to me.” She replies, “Just don’t mention what I told you, it’s embarrassing. To the three of us, really.” Kimberly runs her fingers through her long hair and almost feels bad for how easy the lie comes out of her.

What Kimberly doesn’t mention is how unappealing Ty looks now that she’s been with Trini. How she _did_ break up with him as a power play and was planning on getting back together but changed her mind last night.

She knows she can’t be with Trini, but Kim doesn’t want to force herself to be with Ty when she feels nothing for him. When they were together she might not have liked him but at least she felt attracted to the guy, now she can’t even look at him without comparing him to Trini.

Kimberly represses her feelings for the girl she barely knows and glances back at her friend, who looks deep in thought.

“Mandy?” She calls, noticing the girl never answered her.

Amanda looks up at her and nods, “I won’t tell him. Don’t know if we would work out as a couple though. I’ll get back to you on that.”

Kimberly nods back and quickly eyes Harper, who’s now staring at Amanda, not knowing she was being watched. The bell rings and lunch break is over.

\---

Kimberly stops as soon as she sees it. Her locker is defaced. The words are harsh and ugly and they make her sick to her stomach. She sighs.

**_Kill yourself, fag._ **

Opening the locker, a small note drops on the floor. She picks it up.

 _“Ty’s dick must be really small if you’re picking up chicks now. Call me if you want to know a real man. – Jeff from Math class.”_ His phone number is scribbled next to the words.

Kimberly crumples up the note and throws it carelessly inside her locker before grabbing her things and closing the metal door. Amanda’s voice brings her back to the present.

“What the fuck! Who did this?” She questions, clearly angry at the sentence in dark red covering Kimberly’s locker.

“I don’t know.” She shrugs, hugging her history book close to her chest.

“I’m so sorry, Kimmy! This is my fault, I should never have asked you to do that last night!” Amanda looks around as if she believed she would know who the responsible was just by looking at their face.

Kimberly is taken aback for a second, surprised that Amanda felt bad she was being targeted. “Don’t- uh, don’t worry about it, Amanda.”

“But I will! You’re not a fag! You don’t deserve this!”

Right then, Kimberly feels her heart drop.

_Of course._

Of course she just feels bad because she doesn’t want people to think her “friend” is a “fag”. It’s not like she cares about Kimberly or how that word makes her feel. It’s not like she thinks that nobody should be called that, Amanda just thinks _Kim_ shouldn’t be called that because she’s _not_ one. If Kim _were_ , then Amanda would probably agree with the harsh sentence.

But Kimberly didn’t hate being with Trini. She liked it. She liked the feel of her skin, Trini’s lips against her body, everything. She might like boys too but now she’s thinking she _definitely_ likes girls just as much, if not more. So maybe, the word does apply to her after all.

She doesn’t notice Amanda is still talking, now addressing the other students walking around the hallway. Kimberly’s heart clenches and she gets hit by the unbearable feeling that she’s about to cry, so she turns around and tries to keep her steps controlled as she makes her way to the closest restroom she can find.

It turns out to be the only gender neutral restroom in the entire school. Kimberly breathes in relief because it’s almost always empty, smaller than the other ones. She drops her bag on the floor and stares at her reflection, tears starting to roll down her cheeks.

Suddenly, something catches her attention. Green scissors. Latched on to the wall right next to the mirror. She doesn’t know who it belonged to or who did that and why, but without thinking twice, Kimberly grabs the scissors and next thing she knows, she’s chopping her hair off.

When she’s done, Kimberly looks at her reflection once again and wipes her tears away. She leaves the scissors on top of the sink and takes a deep breath, trying to regain her posture.

But Trini’s face flashes on her head and she’s caught up with the fact that her locker has most likely been defaced as well. Her heart clenches once again and she feels awful for dragging the girl down with her. Kimberly tries not to cry again but doesn’t succeed.

She doesn’t know how long she’s been inside the restroom when the door opens and someone walks inside. Kimberly looks up and tries to wipe her face and not look like a failure but she’s not quick enough.

“Are you okay?”

Kimberly nods, “Fine. What are you doing here?” She questions, forgetting where she is for a second.

“Uh, this is the gender neutral restroom, isn’t it? I’m Billy. Billy Cranston. Hi.” He waves kindly at Kimberly, “I come here because sometimes guys pick up on me when I use the men’s restroom. This guy once said there should be a special restroom just for ‘freaks’ like me. Don’t know if he meant people on the spectrum, neurodivergent people in general, black people, or maybe something else entirely.” Billy shrugs, then glances back at Kimberly. “You were crying.”

Kimberly raises her brow, surprised at Billy’s bluntness. She grabs her bag from the floor and uses some paper towels to wipe her eyes better.

“Billy, you can’t tell anyone about this.”

“I won’t. I just wanted to help, you looked pretty upset. Are you sure you’re okay?” Billy scratches the back of his head. He knew who Kimberly Hart was, and had already seen the girl’s locker. “Ooh, your hair… it looks nice.”

Kimberly frowns, “Uh, thank you.” She quickly runs her fingers through her newly cut locks, “I’m fine, really, just… a little shaken, I’d say.” The girl anxiously tightens her hold on her bag.

Billy offers her a smile, before glancing at his watch, “Can I help? I’ve got a free period now, just came here to wait until the coast was clear.” Suddenly, it looks like he remembers who he’s talking to, “I mean, you probably don’t want my help, you’re way too popular to be interacting with me. It’s cool though, I get it.”

Kimberly sighs, she really wasn’t planning on talking to this guy, but can’t help but notice how sweet and kind he is, even though they’ve never really met before.

Billy smiles comfortingly once again before making his way towards the restroom door. There, before opening it, he stops. “Hey, Kimberly… uh, I’ve seen your locker… You shouldn’t listen to those bullies. I don’t know you, but you were never mean to me.” He turns around to glance at the girl, “You should join the GSA, everyone is nice there… Maybe it could help you feel a little less alone.”

“I’m not- I’m not gay.”

“That’s fine. I’m not gay either.”

Kim frowns, “You’re not?”

“No. I identify as bisexual, but you could go to GSA meetings even if you were straight, you know...”

Suddenly, it’s like a beam of energy hits Kimberly right in the chest and she feels like her life makes sense again. She sits up on the restroom sink and rests her bag on her lap.

 _Bisexuality._ She’d heard something about it once or twice but Kim had never really stopped to think about it. At least until now.

“Billy, would you mind staying for a while?”

Billy lets go of the doorknob and awkwardly sits next to Kimberly.

“H-how does it feel? Being bi, I mean.” She mumbles, staring at the floor in front of them.

The boy scratches the back of his neck in thought, “I don’t know, it feels like me. I’m not sure I get what you’re asking. It feels good, I guess.”

Kimberly laughs, “Right. Sorry. Like, how did you know you were bisexual? I think that’s what I meant.”

“Oh. Well, I think girls are nice and pretty, and boys too. I can see myself dating someone regardless of their sex or gender.” He looks up, thinking about his answer, “I guess I found out one day when I was in detention and… this guy was picking on me, you know, breaking my things and calling me names. And then,” Kimberly glances at Billy and notices his smile.

“then this… this boy just came out of nowhere and bitch slapped him, told him to leave me alone. I just felt so weird, you know? Weirder than usual, I mean. Like, my heart started beating so fast and, I don’t know how but I just knew. I did some research online and found out about it. Bisexuality. What a beautiful thing. Three months later we were dating. I guess that’s how I realized.” Billy looks at Kimberly, and she’s staring at him with this warm smile.

“Thank you for sharing that with me.” Kim is in silence for a few seconds after that, “Listen, I don’t know if I’m ready to take your advice but, I think you helped me more than you realise.” She sighs, “Can you keep a secret?”

Billy nods, overtly excited.

“Yesterday, hm… I was at this party and-“ She clears her throat out of nervousness, “Me and this girl, we… we sorta made out and one thing lead to the other and… uh, we ended up having sex.”

“Oh.” Billy looks conflicted, “That’s why your locker got defaced, right? The wrong person found out?”

Kimberly sighs, silently nodding.

“I’m sorry about that.”

“Thank you.” She picks on her nails. “Do you know som-“ Kimberly stops herself, “Nevermind.”

“Now you have to tell me! Come on, Kimberly, maybe I can help!” Billy insists, sweet as always.

“Fine,” She rolls her eyes, “do you know a girl named Trini?” Inside, Kimberly’s heart is beating fast in anxiety.

Billy nods, “Yes! She’s in my chemistry class! Now that you mention it, earlier today her locker was vandalized too, there were some awful things written there. My boyfriend was trying to clean it for her so he asked for my help, I think he’s trying to be her friend. Anyway, it’s all nice and clean now.” He stops himself, “Sorry, I just realize now that’s not what you asked. But yes, I do know a girl named Trini.”

Kimberly looks conflicted before replying, “That’s nice of you two to help her.” She jumps off the sink, then fixing her grip on her bag. “Listen, Billy, I’m gonna look out for you, okay? I gotta use my popularity for something good. I’ll make sure those bullies are taken care of. Can you do me a favor though?”

Billy looks surprised, but nods.

“Stay close to Trini. Let me know if anyone’s bothering her.” She grabs the door handle, “Oh, and don’t tell her I asked you that. Actually, don’t tell her you know me at all. This can be our little secret, is that alright?”

The boy, still not entirely sure what to think, agrees. A second later, Kimberly is gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? Thoughts? Let me know what you think! Also, the next chapter might take a little longer to be posted since I'm not done with it yet but I'll try to be fast.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Jason Scott (5:13pm):** Hey dude
> 
> **Jason Scott (5:13pm):** Trini Rodriguez is your friend, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! Sorry for the wait, I haven't been feeling very inspired lately, but let's do this!
> 
> Warning: homophobic language

“Hey, Trini, can I use your laptop to check my facebook real quick?” Zack questions, sitting down on his tiny uncomfortable couch.

Trini, who’s on the floor, her books spread around her while she does her homework, quickly grabs the laptop next to her and hands it to her friend, not saying anything.

Zack frowns and runs his fingers through his hair in deep thought after turning the laptop on. “Don’t you have something to tell me, T?”

The short girl keeps her attention directed at the books, “Like what?”

“Maybe something like “don’t break my shit”, or like, I don’t know, begging me to go to school like you always do, complaining about everyone there… You’re just quieter than usual, man. You’re not even being rude to me.” He comments, while logging in his account.

Trini rolls her eyes, “I’m just tired, Zack.” She sighs, reminding herself Zack doesn’t need to know what had happened to her locker earlier.

He shrugs, not totally convinced, but decides to let it go for now.

_1 New Friend Request._

Zack frowns, confused, as he notices Jason Scott wants to be his friend on facebook. Without thinking too much of it, he accepts the request, and not even a minute later, Jason is messaging him.

**Jason Scott (5:13pm):** Hey dude

**Jason Scott (5:13pm):** Trini Rodriguez is your friend, right?

He glances at Trini, who’s still focused on her homework, before replying to Jason, his answer simple and straight to the point.

**You (5:14pm):** Hi

**You (5:14pm):** why?

Jason writes back right away.

**Jason Scott (5:14pm):** I was just worried, some asshole wrote slurs all over her locker and some cheerleaders were giving her a hard time.

**Jason Scott (5:15pm):** My boyfriend and I cleaned it for her but I was wondering if she’s okay, figured she’d probably talk to you about it.

**Jason Scott (5:15pm):** since, you know, you’re the only person who really posts anything on her fb wall…

Zack doesn’t know what to feel, his best friend was being bullied and didn’t tell him about it? He feels powerless and so, so… weak. What kind of friend was he if he couldn’t even protect Trini from shit like that?

He quickly writes back to Jason, thanking him for letting him know and for helping his friend when he couldn’t. Zack logs off and closes the laptop, taking a deep breath and trying to think of what to say to Trini.

“Was it Kimberly Hart?” He questions, closing his eyes tightly.

Trini frowns, and turns to look at him, “What?”

“Was it Kimberly who defaced your locker and bullied you at school today?” Zack opens his eyes and stares at Trini worriedly.

Trini looks taken aback, speechless. She glances at her hands and fidgets with her pen.

“Trini? Why didn’t you tell me about this? I’m supposed to be your best friend!” He shakes his head, not believing this was happening.

Of course Trini wouldn’t tell him, that’s _so Trini_ , to hurt in silence, keep everybody at arm’s length. But Zack thought it would be different for him, _he wasn’t everybody, right?_ He was almost a brother to Trini! How does this even happen?

Trini looks at the door and considers running away for a second, but forces herself to stay. This is Zack, she can trust him. She sighs, tiredly.

“It wasn’t Kimberly. At least I don’t think it was. Her locker got vandalized too, from what I’ve heard…” Trini mumbles, still not looking at her friend.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve been there.”

She frowns, “No, this is not on you!” Trini accidentally breaks one of her pencils, “See, this is why I didn’t tell you! I knew you were gonna blame yourself for it some-fucking-how.” She runs her fingers through her dark locks, “I’m fine, Zack. I knew this was going to happen, I can take care of myself.”

Trini finally glances at Zack, and what she sees breaks her heart. Her best friend is crying.

“Zack, what-“

“No. It’s my turn.” He mumbles, quickly rubbing his eyes and sniffing, “You’re my family, Trini. You and my mom are all I’ve got! Mom is sick and there’s nothing I can do about it, I couldn’t protect her from that! Now you’re being targeted at school and I need to do something about it, T. _I need to_. Please let me help you, I can’t stand the thought of you hurting.” Zack covers his face with his hands, trying to gain a little bit of control over his emotions.

Trini gently squeezes his knee in comfort. “Hey.”

“Hey.” He mumbles, as the short girl holds his hands away from his face.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realise how important that was for you. I should have told you about it, I just didn’t know how to… I don’t know, as much as I knew deep down that was going to happen, it still took me by surprise, I guess. I didn’t know what to do. I’m sorry.”

Zack shakes his head, “Don’t apologize. But promise me we’re not gonna keep secrets from each other anymore. We’re family, right? Us crazy kids have to stick together.”

Trini laughs, “Fine, I promise. But…”

“But…?”

“I think you know you have to start going to school. You wouldn’t do it for yourself, but I guess now you’re gonna do it for me.” She smiles teasingly.

Zack pouts, “Ugh, fine. You have to help me with mom though.”

Trini nods, “Of course, I love your mom, she’s my favorite Taylor.”

The boy jokingly pushes his friend away, “You’re a dick, Trini.”

They’re quiet for a few seconds until Trini frowns, “Wait a minute.”

“What is it, T?” Zack sniffs, wiping the rest of his tears away with his hands.

“How did you even find out about my locker?” She questions, clueless.

Zack smiles like he knew something his friend did not, which was actually the case.

“Let’s just say I have eyes everywhere…” He mumbles, secretively. Trini laughs and jokingly gives his leg a push. She feels so much better, but then again, that’s always the case when Zack is around. Her best friend is clearly the _best_.

\---

Kimberly walks in the hallway and can feel everyone’s eyes on her. It’s nothing she isn’t used to, but this time it looks like it might be for a whole different reason. She takes a deep breath as discreetly as she can, and focuses on keeping her head up.

Harper and Amanda are standing in front of Kimberly’s locker, now clean, as she approaches them. The girls look shocked at their friend’s haircut and Amanda lets out a shrill scream.

“What did you do to your hair?” Harper asks, genuinely excited about Kim’s new look.

Amanda rolls her eyes, “It’s obvious she cut it, Harper, don’t be stupid.”

“Hey, leave her alone, Mandy.” Kimberly teases, “But yeah, I did cut it.”

Amanda frowns, “Why so sudden though? Is this a cry for help?”

Harper links her arm with Kimberly’s, “I think it looks great, Kimmy.”

“Thank you, Harp. I just wanted to try something different, really. It was a rushed decision but I don’t regret it.” Kimberly replies, trying to manufacture a believable lie. They say the best lies are the ones that contain truth in them, right?

Amanda still looks a little unconvinced, but brushes it off. “Well, there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about…”

_Fuck._

“Okay… Can it wait though? I don’t wanna be late for biology.” Kimberly releases her arm from Harper’s grip, trying not to act too suspiciously.

“No. It has to be now.” Amanda steps in front of Kim, who frowns in discomfort. Harper doesn’t do anything, just stands there like she knew what was coming.

“Fine, make it quick then, what is it?”

Amanda smiles mischievously, “Remember our friend Deedee?”

Her heart drops and her hands start sweating, “Come on, Mandy, are you really going to waste your precious time with that loser? She’s not worth it.”

Amanda doesn’t back down. “No, listen to me, Kimmy. Because of that girl, there are rumors about you all around school! People are saying you’re-“ Her voice goes quieter, as if she’s saying something nobody is supposed to hear, “they’re saying you’re a _dyke_. Just like her.”

Kimberly tries to find a way to flee from this conversation but finds herself unable to. Her heart pounds on her ears and she thinks she might pass out.

“We can’t let this stand! You have to put her in her place or else I’m gonna have to. And you know I’m not nearly as sweet and kind as you, I’ll throw that slut to the wolves and I’m pretty sure they will shred her to pieces.” She snaps her fingers repeatedly in front of Kimberly’s face when she sees her friend doesn’t look like she’s paying attention.

“Do you hear me, Kim? You will make sure she knows, and everybody else, too, that you are not, and will never be like her.” Amanda continues. “Am I making myself clear here? I’m trying to look out for you, girl. You’re my best friend, I have to protect you from that kind of rumor.”

Kimberly feels like she’s swallowing glass as she forces herself not to cry, is it that hard to believe she might not give a fuck about people thinking she’s… not straight? She thinks about her options, she could refuse to follow Amanda’s orders, but that would mean she would probably be cut off from her friend group, and Trini would probably have to deal with worse, since Amanda always makes sure to only ever join a fight she knows she will win.

She doesn’t want to make Trini’s life harder but it feels like she has no choice, Amanda always gets her way.

“Fine, I can deal with her. But after that, we’re done, okay? We’re gonna move on with our lives and leave Trini alone.” Kimberly finds herself saying.

Amanda nods, “Okay, geez… If I didn’t know you better, I would think you were trying to protect that loser…”

_Oh, Mandy, you really have no idea._

\---

Kimberly walks into biology class with her heart fluttering uncomfortably inside her chest. Charlotte walks behind her, strutting like she would on a catwalk. Both girls sit down on their usual seats, next to each other, and Kimberly thinks about ignoring Amanda’s warning and waiting to see what would happen. But that probably wouldn’t be very wise, considering her ass is not the only one on the line.

Charlotte clears her throat expectantly, and Kim glares at her, “Not now” she whispers, before turning back to the front of the class, but her friend keeps making weird signs and noises, which ends up prompting Kimberly to glance at her once more. “What?” She asks, impatient.

“She’s here.” Charlotte mumbles, not hiding her disgust.

“Do I have to do this now? Like, what is the point, really? I could do that in the hallway and, you know-“

“Kimmy, I know what you’re trying to do and it won’t work on me. Maybe if I were Harper, but again, I’m not. So let’s make this quick and as painful as possible for her. Come on.” As she finishes her sentence, Charlotte gets up from her seat and starts to make her way towards the back of the classroom, where she knows Trini is seated.

Kimberly takes a deep painful breath and follows her companion.

Trini, who had been about to fall asleep with her face resting on her hand, raises her eyebrow in question.

_Oh no._

_Not here, not now, please._

She begs every possible God out there to give her a hand, but her wish is not granted, as Kimberly Hart, along with a really pale and lanky girl, approaches her.

“Shouldn’t you be washing dishes, maid?” The pale cheerleader asks, staring right at Trini, who simply looks back at her. Charlotte seems offended for a second, as she doesn’t get the reaction she was expecting, but then ends up opening a nasty smile “Oh, right, I forgot, you don’t speak English, right? You should, this is America, you know.”

Trini glances at Kimberly, who looks apologetic. The short girl clears her throat before getting up from her seat and approaching Charlotte and looking her up and down.

“I’d look for a dentist if I were you, sister… Is this because of all the meth?” Trini opens a snarky smile, “What do you want, slenderman?”

Kimberly lets out a roaring laugh, but Charlotte elbows her on the ribs to get her to stop.

“Listen here, you slut-“

“Charlotte. Enough.” Kim interrupts her with a glare.

“What? Are you not gonna defend me? She called me slenderman!”

“And don’t forget cracker.” Trini adds, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Kimberly glances at her in question, “You did?”

“It was implied.” Trini smirks.

“Seriously?” Charlotte complained, her voice getting higher and more annoying.

Kimberly rolls her eyes.

“What do you want?” Trini asks, glancing at Kim in slight fear. Truth is, she has a feeling she knows what the girl wants, but hopes the reality will be a little lighter than that.

“I-“ Kimberly starts, but Charlotte -what a fucking surprise- interrupts her.

“Kimberly wants to make sure you know that -” Her voice gets louder and louder, and the students already inside the classroom start paying attention to their conversation, “- she knows about your disgusting little lesbian crush on her and she’s not a _fag_ like you.”

Trini gets a little taken aback by how loud the girl’s voice gets, but tries to stand her ground. She quickly eyes Kimberly, as if waiting for her to correct or add something to Charlotte’s speech, but the girl looks away, her sight fixed on the floor.

Some other students chat amongst themselves, not even trying to hide they were clearly talking about the whole scene happening in front of them.

“Can’t Kimberly speak for herself, white trash?” Trini challenges, just as loud, swallowing down her urge to cry.

Charlotte glances at her friend, who forces herself to look back up at Trini, letting her see her teary eyes. “I-“ Kimberly quickly looks at Charlotte, whose sight is harsh and unforgiving, and then back at Trini, who stares at her with a mix of question and just a little bit of hope, but masks it with anger.

Kimberly takes a deep breath, _just get this over with. Stop prolonging the inevitable. Come on, Kimberly, like ripping a band-aid._ “She’s right.” Kim forces the words out.

Trini blinks almost too slowly, “Okay.” She replies, then looking right into Kimberly’s eyes as she says the next sentence, making sure to speak clearly and loudly, “You don’t have to worry about me, the only thing you make me feel is pity, but you know, it’s pretty annoying how _you_ were the one who kissed _me_ and now here we are, making a scene because you’re having some kind of gay panic...”

Kimberly forces her jaw shut in an attempt to hold her tears in. She feels humiliated. How ironic. “Ex-excuse me?”

“Did you not hear me? I’m confused, that’s all. _You_ kissed me, Kimberly. You did a lot more than that, actually…” Trini knows she’s being harsh, but she can’t help it, her best defense is to attack. Charlotte widens her eyes at Trini’s words, while Kimberly stays shocked and frozen in place, “I made it very clear I knew this wasn’t happening again, hell, I never even tried to contact you after that, and now for some reason you think I have a stupid crush on you?”

Trini forces a laugh out, “You know what? I know exactly why you’re doing this. You don’t want people to think you’re a gay loser, you’re afraid your friends will drop your ass because they’re homophobic cunts, isn’t that right, Kimmy?”

The class goes quiet.

Kimberly bites the inside of her cheeks so hard they start bleeding. Of course Trini is right, but it’s not like Kimberly can just admit that, not in front of the entire class. She takes a deep breath, “You know nothing about me.”

“Tell me, then, why are you doing this? That’s all I ask.” Trini’s voice cracks and she hates how she lets her guard down for a second.

Kimberly gulps, her heart racing, as she realizes she’s got no choice but to be the queen bee she was always supposed to be. She raises her chin in challenge, pushes her feelings down, and stares right into Trini’s eyes. “You’re wrong. It was a dare and it meant nothing to me. You mean nothing to me, Deedee. I’m not having gay panic or whatever it is you’re implying. I would never want you.” She forces herself to say, “But you got one thing right, I don’t want people to think I’m- gay. So I had to make that clear.”

Trini feels like throwing up. She knew she was nothing to Kimberly, but she feels so humiliated, so used. God, that girl saw her with no clothes on. She let herself be vulnerable in front of her. And it was all a stupid dare? At this point, Trini is just so, so angry.

“You think you’re hot shit but you will never be anything more than Amanda’s lap dog.” The short girl roars, disdainfully, and Kimberly flinches.

The professor suddenly walks into the classroom, eyeing the scene in confusion. Kim simply sits back down on her desk, trying hard to ignore the last five minutes of her life. All she wants to do is pull Trini’s beanie off her head and use it to cover her entire face to hide from this humiliation. Instead, she forces her jaw tightly shut, knowing the second her adrenaline levels went down, she would start crying.

Trini, on the other hand, grabs her bag from her assigned seat, and after mumbling something to the clueless professor, leaves as quickly as she can, her steps echoing inside Kimberly’s head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was that? The angst train is here!! Tell me your thoughts! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kim shakes her head in denial, she has no right to feel like this, she was cruel and Trini will most likely never even look her way again. Why did she have to follow Amanda’s stupid orders? Isn’t Kimberly Hart the HBIC? Trini was right, she’s Amanda’s lap dog and she has no idea how she found herself in this position.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M FINALLY BACK!
> 
> So sorry it took so long, guys, i've been dealing with some health problems and then i got an awful writer's block but i promise i haven't given up on this! Hope you guys haven't given up on it either! I'm doing a lot better now so hopefully the next chapter will be up a lot faster than it took me to write this one.
> 
> I had a really hard time writing this and i'm still not completely satisfied with it but i figured i should just post it and shut up. I'll do better next time.

Trini runs, and runs, and runs. When she eventually stops, sweating and still filled with anxiety and anger, the girl notices she’s back home. Home is about thirty minutes away from school. By car. Trini has no idea how she managed to walk so much and so fast but she climbs through her bedroom window, as to not alert her parents of her presence, and lies down on her cold floor, breathing erratically.

This is bad.

This is really bad.

\---

A few hours after biology class, Kimberly is getting a few things from her locker when three boys stop right next to her. She sighs, then turns to look at them. When she realizes one of them is Billy Cranston, however, her heart aches. _These are Trini’s friends._ Which means, she’s really not ready to hear what they have to say.

“Yes?” Kim asks, playing dumb.

“What did you do?” Jason Scott barks at her, a displeased look on his face.

Kimberly frowns, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Where is Trini?” The only guy Kimberly doesn’t know, who has black hair and amazing cheekbones, questions, even angrier than the first boy to speak.

Billy looks sad, and Jason gives his hand a squeeze so gentle and so pure that makes Kimberly want to cry.

“Why would I know that?” Kim replies, “She left biology class before the professor could even ask if she was okay.” She allows herself to be _kind of_ honest with her answer.

“I know you think you’re above people like us, but that doesn’t give you the right to treat us like garbage, Kimberly. I’d get off of that high horse of yours while I still had the chance if I were you.“ Jason comments, raising an eyebrow.

“She’s clearly not at school and she’s not answering my texts and calls. If this is your doing, if Trini is hurt, I swear to God, Kimberly Hart, I will make you pay for every tear she lets out.” Zack threatens. Kimberly feels bad, obviously, but she’s also a little envious that Trini’s got such fierce friends, while hers seem like they don’t really care about her when it doesn’t benefit them.

But then she remembers how it all went down in biology class, how angry she and Trini got, how bad she wanted to hurt her for saying such ugly truths, and then she sees the girl’s face in her mind, and how painful it was to say those words, how she didn’t mean a thing. Trini looked so shocked, so disgusted, so… hurt. Then she was enraged, and Kimberly still can’t help but understand. What she said was awful.

Yes, Trini did say some bad things as well but she was just trying to protect herself, right? She never looked like the kind of girl who would take anyone’s shit. And while it did hurt Kimberly, she knows she deserved it, she knows her words were cruel and upsetting. She’s not proud of herself.

Kimberly forces her emotions to stay bottled up inside her as she lifts her chin and stares right back at Zack. “Like I said, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She replies, before turning around and leaving the boys behind.

\---

Trini turns her laptop on, trying to find a distraction as to not keep thinking about how annoyingly shaken she is after her big fight with Kimberly. She decides to finally accept Jason and Billy’s friend request on facebook. Jason is online.

**Jason Scott (4:38pm):** _Hey. We were all worried about you since you weren’t at school._

**Jason Scott (4:38pm):** _You okay?_

Trini quickly types a response, not wanting to go into details, telling Jason how she’s fine, but the boy doesn’t seem convinced.

**Jason Scott (4:39pm):** _I heard about your fight with Kimberly Hart. Wanna talk about it?_

**Trini (4:39pm):** _wow, news travel pretty fast in angel grove, huh?_

**Jason Scott (4:40pm):** _I guess you could say that._

**Jason Scott (4:41pm):** _look I know you don’t consider me your friend yet but I do consider you mine. Plus, Zack is my bro already and he was really worried about you, maybe you could talk to him about it then? I know how close you guys are_

Trini sighs. Jason is a sweet dude but she’s not used to having people care about her. Not when they’re not Zack Taylor, her only friend since third grade. It feels almost weird. Why is Jason even trying anyway? Why is he so serious about being her friend? Doesn’t make sense to her.

But she figures she should try to give the guy a chance, after all, he was good enough to become Zack’s “bro”, right? If it doesn’t work she can just run away like she always does, that’s always a possibility.

**Trini (4:45pm):** ok. Thank you. Tell your boyfriend I said hi. He seems nice. Way too nice to be with a lil bitch like you tbh

**Jason Scott (4:45pm):** excuse you, I am not a lil bitch, Trini Rodriguez! But I’ll let him know. Thanks.

In return, Trini simply texts him some random emojis.

Closing her facebook, she sighs, anxiety and anger building up inside her gut once again. Trini feels a bitter taste in her mouth. Fuck Kimberly Hart for affecting her like this. She lies down on the bed and closes her eyes.

Maybe this isn’t the right time to admit to herself she has had a crush on Kimberly for over a year now. She knew this was coming, but it still hurts like a bitch. Trini has no idea what to do with herself, the girl she’s had a crush on fucking humiliated her in front of the entire class.

After they slept together.

She presses a pillow to her face and yells.

\---

Kimberly finally stops to breathe. Dropping her backpack to her bedroom floor, the girl sits down with her back resting against the wardrobe. She runs her fingers through her dark locks and next thing she knows, she’s crying.

Kim shakes her head in denial, she has no right to feel like this, she was cruel and Trini will most likely never even look her way again. Why did she have to follow Amanda’s stupid orders? Isn’t Kimberly Hart the HBIC? Trini was right, she’s Amanda’s lap dog and she has no idea how she found herself in this position.

Her phone dings. Message from Billy.

**Billy Cranston (5:12pm):** _I’m confused. Did you really say all of that stuff to Trini? If so, then I don’t think we should be friends anymore. Trini is nice. And If you’re a homophobe then that affects me as well since I’m dating Jason. Please tell me what’s really happening, Kimberly._

The girl sighs. Of course. It was obvious everybody would find out eventually. She didn’t expect it to be this soon, but… she deserves it for being a bad person. Kimberly is frustrated and angry at herself and considers blocking Billy’s number for a minute.

**Billy Cranston (5:19pm):** _I know you’ve read my message, why won’t you answer it? I know we don’t know each other well but please be honest with me. Jason and Zack are angry at you but I know there has to be a reason why you would behave like that._

**Billy Cranston (5:20pm):** _I hope I’m right about you._

Kimberly forces herself to stop crying. She’s never wanted any of this to happen. And for the first time in her life, Kimberly notices how lonely she feels. Does she even have friends? She used to think Amanda and the cheerleaders were her friends but can she even say that anymore? Amanda is toxic and Kimberly fears she’s spent too long ignoring that and now… now look at her, she’s turned just as toxic.

No.

No, this can’t be it. She has to at least try to turn things around, she won’t let herself be stuck with Amanda forever. Popularity is good but it’s so much work, Kimberly is starting to think it might not be worth it.

She can’t even recognize herself. She yelled awful things to a girl that has been nothing but understanding to her. All of that why? For Amanda Clark?? Who the fuck does Amanda Clark even think she is? And why, oh why was Kimberly so naïve and stupid to think that was her best choice?

_Calling Billy Cranston…_

_“Hello, Kimberly Hart.”_ Billy’s voice sounds slightly confused.

Kimberly sniffs, “Hey, Billy. Sorry I didn’t reply to your texts, I can explain.”

It’s quiet at the other side of the call for a few seconds until the boy starts talking again, _“That would be good. Are you crying?”_

“I am. But that’s my own fault. All you heard was true, Billy, I was a bitch to Trini and we had a fight in Biology class.” The words feel strange coming out of her mouth, she’s not used to talking it out with someone when shit happens.

_“Oh. Okay. But why would you say all that? It was really mean, Kimberly… I thought you cared about her! Was I wrong? When we talked in the restroom you seemed like you were into her… Did you really just have sex with her for a dare? Like I said in my text, I’m really confused.”_

_Should she do it? Should she tell Billy everything?_ She thinks for a second, and ends up finding no reason why not. It’s not like anyone would believe the boy if he ever told a living soul.

“I- I… I don’t know. Yes and no? Listen, I was kinda drunk and Amanda dared me to make out with Trini and then maybe make her cry a little bit. But that’s not that happened! What I’m saying here is that Amanda never specifically asked me to have sex with Trini. I did it because… because she was there and she was beautiful and I didn’t know what I was doing but, Billy, she made me feel so good, so… alive. And yes, I think I… I might be into her.” Her voice cracks.

Kimberly sighs, resting her head tiredly against the wardrobe behind her, “But that doesn’t matter now because Amanda got in my head again and that’s why I said those cruel things to Trini. I didn’t want to lose my friends. And I thought Amanda would do worse to her if I didn’t handle her on my own. I was trying to protect her but that didn’t work very well, did it? I was scared, Billy. I was so scared.”

_“What were you scared of?”_

“Everything. Coming out even though I don’t know exactly what I am, losing my friends, having feelings for a girl who doesn’t even like me, getting humiliated and made fun of, the list goes on and on.” She sighs, “I know this doesn’t excuse what I did, I never should have said those things to Trini, but there’s nothing I can do now. I’m gonna have to go back to school tomorrow and pretend that I’m okay and that I’m totally straight and narrow and that I haven’t realized just how much I hate my _friends_.”

Billy takes a little while to respond _, “Sorry, I was trying to find some encouraging words in my mind, but I don’t think there’s much I can do to help you.”_ He starts _, “Listen, I know what it’s like to be scared, but Kimberly, you can’t let fear run your life. You don’t have to pretend anymore if you don’t want to. You can still talk to Trini and apologize and who knows, maybe she will forgive you! But if she doesn’t, I’m sure you will be okay!”_ Kimberly can’t see it but he’s pacing around in his basement.

_“You don’t have to stay friends with Amanda and her crew. I know this is scary but I promise you I can talk to Jason and I’m pretty sure I can convince him that you’re nice and then we can be your friends! Only if you apologize to Trini though, because yeah, that was pretty bad, but as I was saying, we can be your friends and you don’t have to be alone! And you can always join the GSA! – You don’t have to, if you don’t feel comfortable coming out yet, but you could just say you’re an ally, nobody would judge you there, I promise. This is your chance to start a brand new chapter in your life, Kimberly.”_

Kimberly silently wipes her tears away, “I’m not- I’m no good, Billy. I don’t deserve your kindness. I don’t want to bring you and your boyfriend down with me. And I’m sure Trini will never hear me out, she will probably just punch me in the face, I know I would if I were her.”

Billy sighs, _“Miss Marvel once said, “Good is not a thing you are, it’s a thing you do.” You did a bad thing but you can still change your ways and start doing good. And Trini won’t punch you. She might run away from you though, but that’s not as bad, is it?”_

Kimberly frowns, “That’s sweet and all but… it’s a little weird that you know how she’s going to react. Don’t get me wrong, how do you already know so much about Trini when you’ve been around her for so little time?”

_“You asked me to keep an eye on her and I did. She looks aggressive but when cornered and alone, it’s most likely for her to flee… This is not about me, this is about you, Kimberly. You have to try, I’m sure it won’t hurt. - I mean, unless she does punch you in the face, then that would hurt.”_

The girl takes a deep breath, “I’ll see what I can do.”

_“Great! Remember, be honest with her, don’t look threatening, and... be nice.”_

“Thank you for the advice, Billy. You’re really sweet.”

Billy grins, _“You’re welcome, Kimberly. I hope you can work things out.”_

She’s about to hang up, but hesitates, “Uh, Billy?”

_“Yes?”_

“This is stupid but… do you know if Trini, uh…, if she really meant all the things she said in Biology?” She scratches the back of her head, nervous.

_“I don’t know. We’re not really close yet.”_

“Oh… okay.”

_“But people say a lot of things they don’t mean when they’re angry, isn’t that right?”_

“Thank you, Billy.”

_“Anytime, Kim.”_

After that, Kimberly hangs up. She’s still scared, but maybe she can find a way to fix things.

_Not all hope is lost, right? Or is it?_

_Crap._

_Don’t think, don’t think, just do what needs to be done, Kim._

_Focus on doing the right thing, that’s what matters._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh, and i hate to be the bearer of bad news but the angst is far from over. I do promise a happy ending though! We're gonna have some nice moments, of course, but it's gonna be a bumpy ride. Anyway, please please please let me know what you think!! I need your comments and support to live (jk but i really do, i get super insecure)
> 
> ps: does anyone else here love miss marvel?? kamala khan is a such a wise baby!!! my brave muslim daughter!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kimberly, with Billy's reluctant help, puts her apology plan into motion. Trini will never know what hit her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. I know, i know, its been forever. I'm sorry for taking so long. That said, this is not the entire chapter i had planned, but it was taking me a lot longer than i expected so i just decided to post it like this and i'll post the rest as another chapter when i can. I'm not gonna make any promises about when the next chapter will be up but i just want you guys to know i'm still here and this fic will continue to be written.  
> Also, since the sequel has been confirmed, i've been dying to update this fic. I'm having a bit of a block and college is keeping me busy but i will keep writing.

Kimberly wakes up earlier than ever, having had an awful night of sleep. She was restless after that call with Billy and all the realizations that she had to come to terms with during that night. She felt incredibly guilty for how she acted and let herself be manipulated into humiliating Trini in front of the entire class.

She would like to say she didn’t mean a single thing she let out, but she was scared, and maybe, just maybe, part of that was real. Which scares her shitless. She had no idea she was so deep in self hatred and internalized homophobia. That’s frightening to Kimberly. She already knows she likes Trini and she doesn’t really have a problem with that per se, but the girl is obviously gonna have to work hard on herself to unlearn the internalized homophobia and hopefully one day be able to completely love and accept who she is. To heal.

So when the clock strikes 5 a.m., Kimberly Ann Hart decides she’s gonna make that day her bitch. She knows what she has to do, she’s never felt so self aware as she does in that moment in time.

After taking a long relaxing shower (she was too restless to let herself enjoy a bath), Kim brushes her teeth, takes care of her hair, picks out her outfit for the day, checks her phone - sending a quick good morning and thank you text to Billy -, then finally heads to the kitchen to have breakfast. By that time, it’s already 6:20 a.m., Kimberly’s mother is already awake and seated at the table enjoying a steaming mug of coffee.

“Morning.” Kim mumbles under her breath, then opening the fridge and grabbing whatever she finds to eat.

“Good morning, darling. Did you sleep well?”

“Uh, yeah.”

Her mother looks unconvinced but says nothing.

After eating, Kimberly fetches her backpack and leaves, saying goodbye to her mother.

-

She parks her car in the same spot she always does. Turning the engine off, Kimberly takes a deep nervous breath.

“You can do this.” She mumbles to herself, squeezing the steering wheel. “Okay.”

Kim opens the door and gets out, ignoring the stares and loud whisperings about her and her stupid fight with Trini the day before.

**Billy Cranston [6:43 a.m.]:** I’m taking her to the gender neutral restroom like we planned. Good luck. Don’t mess this up.

Kimberly doesn’t even text the boy back, walking faster towards the restroom. When she gets there, it’s still empty, so the girl drops her backpack on the sink and tries to stay calm. Billy would walk in with Trini any time now.

Fuck. She screams inside.

You got this, Kim. You rehearsed it in the shower like 47 times. You got this.

When she’s almost done splashing some cold water on her face, Kimberly hears the door open.

She looks up towards the noise and catches Trini’s surprised - and angry - look. The short girl turns to get out of the situation and leave but Billy gently - and desperately - pushes her back in and closes the door on her, staying outside making sure Trini wouldn’t get out.

“Billy what the fuck?? What are you doing? Open the damn door!” Trini complains, still refusing to look in Kimberly’s direction.

“Sorry, Trini. I can’t. Not yet.” Billy replies, his voice covered in slight fear and anxiety.

“Trini.” Kimberly mumbles.

“No. I’m not doing this.” Trini barks back, in the same position she’s been since Billy betrayed her. “Billy you have no right. Why would you do this to me? I thought we were friends!”

“It’s not his fault, Trini. It’s my fault.”

“That wouldn’t be surprising at all since everything is your fault.”

“Yeah yeah I know. Look, Billy is just trying to help, okay? I just need to-” Kimberly slowly walks towards the other girl’s direction.

“I don’t wanna hear it, Kimberly. Are you here to make up excuses as to why you had the right to fucking treat me like shit in front of everyone? Oh wait, you’re here to beat me up and tell me Amanda demanded me to stay away, is that it?” Trini presses her forehead against the door for a moment before finally turning around to look at Kimberly, suddenly looking brave. “Go ahead. I’m not afraid.”

Kimberly shakes her head. “I’m not- I know I fucked up but I would never beat you up. And the reason I’m here has nothing to do with Amanda.”

Trini rolls her eyes. “Just get this over with then. I don’t want to look at you any longer than I have to. You have two minutes.”

Kim looks terrified for a moment, then she pushes it in and swallows it down. She has no time to waste.

“You were right.”

“Yes, I was but… what was I right about?”

“Me. About the gay panic, and being afraid of my homophobic friends dropping me, everything. And yes, when I said all that shit to you I was nothing but Amanda’s lap dog.” She breathes heavily, “And I don’t want to do that anymore. I don’t want to be miserable because I’m afraid of what people might think of me, what that would do with my popularity, I don’t want to stand there and watch the cheerleaders mock you and call you names and all that shit. I’m here to say you were right about me, but I want to change. And I want to apologize.”

Trini looks surprised but stays in silence.

“What I did wasn’t okay. I know that. I was wrong. I was stupid and I want to take responsibility for my actions. I’m not gonna blame Amanda for this, she’s not the boss of me, I could have refused to be a part of that stupid scene, I should have refused.” Kimberly shakes her head tiredly, “And I lied to you.”

She looks at Trini with regret and sadness in her eyes.

“It did mean something to me. And you mean something to me. Yes, it was a dare at first, but I didn’t follow through with it. I was never supposed to have sex with you. I was supposed to humiliate you and make you run away crying at the party. I’m not gonna lie, I did plan on doing that before. But I couldn’t. I don’t know what happened but I could not bring myself to stop what we were doing. And I can’t stop thinking about you. And, well, that’s very new to me. Terrifying, really. But I handled that in the worst possible way, didn’t I? I’m sorry, Trini.”

Trini stays quiet for a few seconds after that. Kimberly keeps looking at her and Trini keeps refusing to meet her eyes.

“Is that all?” She asks.

Kim is taken aback. Fuck. That’s anticlimactic.

“It- it was, but I, uh, I think I need to say something else.”

“Go ahead then, since you’re already wasting my time.”

“You might not forgive me, I get that, and I won’t hold it against you, but Billy is completely innocent in this, if anything I manipulated him into bringing you here, make me the bad guy, that’s okay, but he’s anything but that. Billy is a kind, amazing person, and he was just trying to help.”

Trini nods, a bored look in her face.

“I have a question.” She suddenly says.

“Yes?” Kimberly replies, surprised.

“What did you think was gonna happen? Did you think I was just gonna ignore how you made me look like a complete fool in front of the entire class and jump into your arms and what, give you a big kiss? What did you expect would come from this? I hear your apology, I acknowledge it. But it’s gonna take more than a few rehearsed words to get me to even look at you again.” Trini starts,

“I get it, being gay is scary, I mean, I don’t know what you identify as but I’m sure it came as a shock to you. I can sympathize with that. But it doesn’t excuse the way you treated me. You’re right, it’s not okay. I’m glad you realize you were wrong and shouldn’t have done that shit, but you still did it. I still heard those words. Everybody did. And as much as I want to say it didn’t hurt me at all, that I’m a tough bitch with no feelings, I can’t do that. Because I don’t like lying. You did hurt me. Damn I don’t want to give you power over me but I had a panic attack because of this shit. So yeah I appreciate that you say you’re gonna change but I can’t just believe your words. Because you fooled me before. I was happy being invisible. You turned the spotlight on me. You made people see me and I didn’t want to be seen.”

Kimberly looks down, ashamed of herself. “I wasn’t trying to excuse what i did, I know nothing is gonna change how that happened. I do regret it, but like you said, I still did it. And no, to be honest I was expecting you to punch me in the face and leave. So this went a lot better than what I had in mind.” She takes a deep breath, “Thank you for hearing me out. And for being so nice about it in your own way. You’ll see, I’m gonna make things better, I promise.”

“Well, good luck.” And with that, Trini turns around and the door opens with her gentle push. Billy is no longer outside. “And don’t involve my friends in your shit again.”

Kimberly’s hands are shaking. She grabs her backpack again, then looks at her reflection in the mirror. She nods. Not bad.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is always appreciated! Thank you all! Oh, Kim still has a long way to go to earn Trini's trust. Next chapter is gonna have a new character that's gonna make things a little different, especially to Kim and Trini.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr as elenalvrz or twitter as @HeyNanda97


End file.
